


Long live the King

by LiberaMeDelailah



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Study, Get ready because this will get wild, How Do I Tag, I'm Sorry, M/M, Oh My God, Ranting might go up, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, This is like really slow burn, Vaan as an heir to the throne
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-20 10:23:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14892837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiberaMeDelailah/pseuds/LiberaMeDelailah
Summary: In the Tomb of Raithwall, there was a 'ghost' that spoke to a single person, and that person was not Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca; but an orphan with no name, no hold to the throne and nothing but the hope of a Rabanastre that would shine as brightly as the sun that bathed her.





	1. A desert flower.

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be one hell of a wild ride. 
> 
> Let's see where we go, children, because we are flipping going. 
> 
> [This first chapter is like ten pages long, hey, I'm on my way to my funeral]

The first trip Vaan took on the Strahl was one corrupted by the images of his best friend endangered. His first view of the sky first hand wasn’t as beautiful nor as calming as he had liked it to be. Balthier’s calming and yet sardonic voice was the only thing keeping him from his magic going on a hazard; Fran could see his aura becoming more and more agitated the closer they got to Bhujerba. The closeness to Basch was also not helping; Vaan might’ve acted mature enough to tell the ex-commander than yes, he had indeed forgiven him for the sins of his twin; but the truth was that the wound was too deep and had been left unattended for too long. 

Balthier might’ve gone a little overboard with him inside of the dungeon, he might’ve spoken a bit too loud, and he was surprised it caused an actual effect on the adolescent; perhaps Vaan had been an orphan for so long that he hadn’t had the chance to receive a punishment and a good earful from his mother or father; maybe not even his brother had gotten the chance to give him a talk when he did something wrong. The thought was painful, even for the sky pirate, and maybe that was what moved him to help the teenager, not the prize, but the fact that he was saving the only family Vaan had left. Of course, he would never dare to tell him that, but, a single good deed once a year oath to do some good, in the long run. 

They arrived at Bhujerba earlier than they expected, it was midday. The bridge that connected the airodroom to the city was filled with people and with life. Vaan found it funny, how people dressed, so many beautiful silks around, it was as if the country was rich and prosper, so different from what he had gotten used to. His mind didn’t wonder too much through; he looked around trying to look for a clue. Balthier was fast to catch up to him, and as if he had spoken a silent command, Vaan stopped to listen to whatever he had to say. “The Lhusu mines are up ahead.” 

“You are on your way to the mines?” A young voice answered to Balthier’s statement, and the troupe turned around to see a child, barely twelve, looking towards the city by the edge of the bridge. He turned around; his hair a mess because of the winds, his eyes pale and his expression as serious and as petulant as any high-class adult. “Then please, allow me to accompany you.” 

Balthier was not one to trust easily; and the moment the child uttered the first word, the sky pirate could tell that, one, he wasn’t from Bhujerba and, two, he wasn’t just any highborn child; there was an accent there, very… familiar, Balthier could almost feel as if he had seen the child before, as if he personally knew him; of course, it might’ve been just his imagination, but the feeling of familiarity lingered for far too long for it to be a coincidence. 

“I have an errand to attend there.” The black-haired child stated, simply, looking at them with respect but with authority, as if he had any power there. He might, Balthier thought simply, but if he wanted his cover to last long, he needed to put his act of common child together.

“What sort of errand?” Basch was always direct, and yet, subtle. Balthier admired that; the art of the boldness and yet kindness, something the sky pirate lacked; he wasn’t bold, nor was he kind, but he got the work done, and he was free; which meant the didn’t need to be polite. The only two people that shared those characteristics with him now, on his tiny troupe, were Vaan and Fran; and the Viera was too quiet for it to be a quality that she would ever use to the fullest, and Vaan was still too young, too much of an idiot, to understand the power of freedom. 

“What errand? I might ask the same of you.” There it was again, the voice of someone with power, without shame and without hesitation; Vaan wondered why such a small child had to hold himself with so much grace; but half of his mind still was in the Lhusu mines; he wanted to rescue Penelo more than anything else. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to rescue his friend more out of a selfish wish to not been left alone; the loneliness hurt deeper than any dagger he had ever faced; and its cut lasted longer to be healed. He knew that, without Penelo, there would be no one left that he cared for in Rabanastre; or at least, no one he sincerely cared for enough to not just… leave. And if there was no home in Rabanastre, where would he go? He was a child of the desert, son of the Sands; there was a pride on it; but there was also sadness to his heart that was related to his homeland.

That was one of the many reasons he wanted to become a sky pirate, because if he was on the sky, he could return to the sands whenever he wished, and not be chained to the ground; he wanted an airship, so he could leave and return as he pleased; never forgetting who he was, nor where he came from, but been able to just… leave it all behind. For a while. 

“-me on then.” Unexpectedly, Balthier agreed to let the child come with them. He was always so relaxed, but his shoulders now seemed stiff – almost uncomfortable, and yet, he had agreed to let the kid come. 

“What?” Vaan couldn’t stop himself from asking, this child reminded him of those kids who lived with him in lowtown, barely able to put his clothes on themselves, and so weak even a rat caused them troubles. Balthier must’ve been joking; but no one was telling the punchline. 

“Excellent.” Vaan began to count just how many spells did he know to keep the child from getting hurt; he realized, there weren’t too many things a white mage could do to keep someone from harm; all his magic could do was fix the damage that was already done. He was glad, for his magic, for it was nothing but a blessing when the children back at home were sick, but in the battlefield, he wished to be able to hold his ground and save people from the pain. 

“Do me a favor and stay where I can keep my eye on you.” Vaan wished to sigh, everyone around him acted high and mighty, as if they had a right to be where they were, as if they were part of something greater, always confident on their own abilities. Balthier was the personification of someone who was completely aware of his limits and yet, didn’t give a damn about them; making everyone around him aware that he knew more than what he led on. “Should be less trouble that way.”

“For us both.” 

Vaan crossed his arms, he eyed Balthier before facing the child fully. “So, what’s your name?” 

“Oh, I…” The black-haired kid stopped for a second, as if thinking; and everyone noticed. For Vaan, it wasn’t strange for a child to stop and think of their names, some of them had lost their parents at such a young age, that it was hard for them to remember which one the name was their parents had given them; he could even recall one time where Penelo had named a newborn she found – Aisha. She had been adopted, by someone from the tribe just outside of Rabanastre. He wondered if she was fine. “I’m Lamont.” 

The lie didn’t go unnoticed by Balthier; a child of high rank stopping to think for a name just meant he was faking it, the obviousness of it all made ‘Lamont’ look more innocent in the eyes of the sky pirate, however.

“Don’t worry; I don’t know what’s on the mines, Lamont, but you’re in good hands.” Vaan spoke, proudly, as if he was speaking about himself; he began to walk and, of course he wasn’t speaking about himself… “Right Basch?” 

Balthier wanted to punch Vaan, to punch himself, to punch Basch and if Fran wasn’t a lady, he might’ve wanted to punch her too; but he decided simply to look at the adolescent with the most indignant face he could muster, and dear Lord, he pleaded, let him understand and be self-aware that he was an idiot… But he couldn’t help the smile that crept to his mouth after a few seconds, the mistake was just… so naïve, it just meant Vaan was still away from what the truth of the war was, still pure. Basch sighed, both amused and disappointed. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The city was beautiful, Vaan could appreciate all the smells without an underline of dirt and putrefaction lingering underneath; there was someone baking bread, a woman with an expensive perfume walking with a child in hand, Kupo standing just besides the plaza. He wanted to cry, to scream, this was what he wished his country was, his home, this is what he wanted his people to smell, to see… He wished that the eyes of some of the children that lived in lowtown didn’t hurt when they got out because of how little they had seen the sun. Basch and Balthier kept their eyes close to him, to his movements; and there was a bit of pity in the way both Fran and Lamont saw him walking around, amazed. 

None of them had easy lives, that was for sure, but at the very least they’ve had the chance to explore beyond the darkness; and it wasn’t literal darkness they were talking about, because there’s obscurity even under the burning sun. And Vaan was loved by the sun, the representation of a desert-flower made human, if Lamont could put it into words; the naivety and sweetness of one, with the power to survive surrounded by the unforgiving sand. 

“What was your life like, Vaan?” Lamont asked, walking besides the teenager, everyone else waiting for an answer, but also seemingly minding their own business. 

“My life? Pretty good, honestly. Lost my parents at a young age, but had my brother to take care of me until I turned fifteen… The war came, and took him, as well, and I hated everything, for a while. But then I turned, and saw so many children needing a hand, and Penelo who had lost her parents…” He looked down to the floor, sadly. “My magic manifested like six months after I lost Reks, I found a child that was very hurt, a guard had a bad day, and no one cares for an orphan anyways…” He played with his hands a little, as they continued walking around the town. “… But I did, and my hands began to shine white; I didn’t have a single idea of what was going on, since we aren’t exactly taught magic in lowtown. He lived, and I can’t remember times in which I’ve been happier than those in which those that the world has given up on awake, of course, I never forgave myself because I couldn’t save Reks, but I’ve saved a bunch ever since.” 

“In the dungeon it came very handy, that healing of yours.” Balthier said absent-mindedly; he was trying to picture the live he had, to put a contrast to the live Vaan had; he was born in Archadia, third son; at the age of fifteen, with the influence of his father, he was commended to become a Judge. His two older brothers died in strange circumstances in Giruvegan. But other than those circumstances, his life had been easy, for the most part, and before his father began to go insane, he could even tie it to… happy emotions. “So that’s how you’ve become such an avid healer.” 

“Yeah, and well, I needed to help Penelo, sometimes, too.” Vaan laughed at memories of them trying to go to hunts together, Penelo was far too physically strong for a girl but had no magic art, Vaan almost laughed when she casted a Fire that ended up burning her eyebrows. She was the antithesis of the woman of Rabanastre, sweet and soft but far too strong to act on it; while Vaan was the opposite of a man, staying behind to heal on the sidelines. “If I was to describe my life in a few words, I’d say I was… Better than those who were in my shoes. I went hungry, but I didn’t starve, I got sick, but I didn’t die… I’m still alive, that’s got to count, right? Yeah.” 

Everyone kept silence, then. Vaan was particular; they all came to that conclusion. Not a genius, but not an idiot, not sad, but not happy. He was… in a blank state, which he disguised as the happy-get-lucky personality he always had on; or at least, the personality he had shown to them. Balthier wondered if there was a different man under that façade. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vaan couldn’t believe his eyes when they reached the mines, the doorframes that led inside, at the end of huge pair of stairs, were beautiful and gigantic; the decoration was gothic, as if meant to feel belittled by the grandiosity of it all. 

“The Lhusu Mines, one of the richest veins in Ivalice.” Balthier looked up, to the doorframe, to the walls inside. 

“Under imperial guard, no doubt.” Basch said, also focused on the entrance. A tingle of guilt played in the back of Balthier’s mind, as if he was the one at fault for the current circumstances, as if he had anything to do with the state of the world. 

Lamont walked towards the ex-commander with his pace, the pace of a trained soldier. “Actually no. With but a few exceptions, the imperial army is not permitted in Bhujerba.” Again, dropping his disguise; Balthier couldn’t help but wonder how this child had managed to stay hidden, if he was hidden at all. He couldn’t go for five minutes without saying something relating the empire, and even worst, he couldn’t stop talking about information that was restricted to those who knew about the politics between the two countries. The more time they spent together, the more Balthier was sure that the child was son of either a judge, or a commanding officer of the Archadian empire. “Well, shall we proceed?” Lamont began to walk towards the mines. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps…

But no, he was far too old. Unless he was kept a secret… Still, he couldn’t, wouldn’t believe such things, he would’ve heard, word travels fast in the heavens – but it would explain the familiarity… It was impossible, Balthier knew, but he couldn’t help but wonder. There were other possibilities, the Emperor had a son, a small child. He left out a relieved sigh, of course – the emperor had a young child that he had forgotten about; he silently thanked all the deities he knew of, following both Vaan and ‘Lamont’ forward, to the mines. 

They hadn’t even made if out of the first passage when they heard footsteps; who was walking around the mines in the middle of the day? It would’ve been normal if it was just one or two footsteps and if they didn’t echo like metal, Vaan would’ve attributed those footsteps to a scavenger looking to loot the bodies inside the mines, but these steps were awfully heavy. Lamont hid, quickly, and soon, Vaan followed, as they saw a group of men approaching the entrance of the mines. 

The sound of a voice with a pitch too high for its body echoed inside the mines. “You will forgive me for asking, but you are diverting the purest of the magicite.” His tone was not accusatory; it was simply stating a fact, but Lamont heard it for what it was, a softly spoken threat.

“I can assure you, it reaches Lord Vayne most discretely.” Someone answered, and Vaan couldn’t see, but he could feel the tightness of his voice; someone who was trying to hide great fear behind a tranquil nature. 

“Hah, you wear your saddle well.” Ironic, Lamont thought, since the only dog he could hear was the one who spoke so mighty. 

“Be that as it may, I have no intention of being bridled, your honor.” Vaan admired that man, whoever he was, he was strong, and not just by the power of his title, for all the teenager could tell, he could be a simple lowborn, like he was – but the man speaking had guts, the power of speech was by his side. 

“Then you prefer the whip? Stubborness will see not only you broken, your excellency, but Bhujerba, as well.” With that, they left; Vaan getting a glimpse of those who were at the mines, one large man in an armor along with another dressed in very beautiful silks. 

“Halim Ondore the Fourth, the Marquis of Bhujerba.” Lamont explained, as Fran, Balthier and Basch appeared, it seemed as if they had managed to sneak behind the pillars that were besides Vaan and Lamont. “The marquis served as mediator at the negotiations of Dalmasca’s surrender… It would appear that he is somewhat less neutral now.” 

“They say he’s been helping the resistance.” Balthier wasn’t necessarily smiling, but you could hear the quirk of his lips in his voice; Vaan was almost certain that if he was talking with someone else, he would’ve laughed at his own statement; he seemed as if he was mocking Lamont, for the secrets he hid. 

“They say many things.” Lamont was taking the bait; been pulled out his hiding place; Basch and Fran could see what was the game Balthier was playing, the only oblivious to the trick was Vaan. 

“You’re certainly well informed. Who did you say you were again?” There it was; Balthier was showing off his hand, and it was a full house. Vaan was taking none of that; he walked by them and broke the conversation with the power of a sandstorm. 

“What difference does it make? We have to find Penelo.” 

“And Penelo is your –” Lamont tried to ask if she was Vaan’s girlfriend, since he has spoken about her before with such a fondness that he found it hard to believe that they were not an item. He was also not conscious about what Penelo had to do with him suddenly saving him from losing his façade; and that question also lingered the air, even if unspoken. 

“She’s a friend. She was kidnapped and taken here.” Vaan’s voice had a fire within it, there was the conviction of someone who would save his friend. Balthier couldn’t help but wonder, if he had said no, would Vaan, even if all he could do was heal, had come to Bhujerba to save Penelo, anyways? He probably would’ve; and even by himself he would’ve entered the Lhusu mines and died alone, but not without trying to rescue his friend. Balthier could admire that, a passion for the ones he loved that burnt like a volcano. It was strange, really, that with such a strong personality, Vaan’s magic was the one that did nothing but save people’s lives, it almost didn’t connect, in the sky pirate’s mind, and yet… it made an awful lot of sense. 

Vaan ran away, then, towards the depths of the mines; and Balthier without a single drop of hesitation followed; the teenager wasn’t a natural leader, at all, nor did he inspired people with heartfelt speeches, but there was something in his way of living, in the way he disguised sadness with happiness and emptiness with the will to help, that made the sky pirate follow him. He could sense the same determination in Fran’s eyes and in her stance; for her, Vaan was but a child, and one that was blinded to the world around him, but that blindness made him even more precious, because in his naivety there was wisdom, the sort of knowledge that you acquire when you reach the lowest of points.

The two pirates followed Vaan’s lead then, trying to keep him safe; as if something was telling them he would become someone that would change the world. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were monsters inside of the Lhusu mines; and Balthier expected just as much. From time to time, he’d see Basch making a sketch of the beasts they’d found on the caves, from the Vampyr, to the headless… All of them. The sky pirate was surprised to see him drawing; from all the things the ex-commander seemed to do or not do, drawing was not one of the abilities he would’ve related Basch to. Balthier saw the blond man looking at a page at a moment they stopped to rest, and he stood besides him, to get a look of the drawing in his hand. It was a young man, he looked awfully a lot like Vaan, perhaps a bit older, more matured, and with a bit more muscle on his arms. 

“Is that Reks?” Balthier wasn’t kind, he wasn’t polite, and he didn’t need to. He was free. 

“Yes. Or at least, how I remember him. Who he would’ve become, perhaps.” Basch smiled, sadly, while he looked towards Vaan, who was happily talking to ‘Lamont’; he wasn’t the brother he expected him to be, but he sure was an energetic teen. “I can’t help but see Reks in his eyes.” 

“I imagine they look a lot alike.” Balthier also rested his eyes on the sun-kissed teenager, his hands shining white while casting a Cure on Lamont, who had an ugly cut in his arm. When did he get hurt? He hasn’t noticed. “It’s hard to believe that Rabanastre let this happen; I mean, I’ve heard so many things about the golden city… but children to go around without any education, to starve to death – I mean, I guess all cities have darkness to them, but Rabanastre just seemed so pristine.” 

“I know, I thought so too when I first joined.” Basch looked down to the sketch in his hand, the one man he could never forgive himself for losing. He could’ve sent the child back home, he could’ve saved him, and Vaan would’ve ground to be a happy man, instead of the excuse of a person he was. “I wish I had chosen a different path.” 

Balthier looked solemn for a second, the tiniest bits of regret crossing his well-formed features. “It is too grand for me to assume that, perhaps this was the best for us all? Who knows, war brings changes. Maybe Ivalice needed a change.” 

Fran joined them, her ears picking the conversation. If there was someone with many regrets in life, it was her; and if there was someone who never looked back on the paths she had chosen, it was her, as well. 

“I don’t think dwelling on what could’ve been will change what it is now.” She stated simply, casting a cure over a small cut that was in Basch cheek; he appreciated her soft-spoken wisdom and kindness. “I’ve been around long before you all were born and will be around still when you all are gone. Those mistakes you’ve committed – they are small, because I know they are – In the grand scheme of things, are nothing but dust to be taken away by the wind; humanity, in the long run, will change and switch and become something else, and who we were will be but a mirage of who they will be; so allow yourself to let go, and focus on what you need to do now.” She finished her speech, the most she had ever spoken to anyone outside Balthier, and began to follow Vaan and Lamont, who were already moving towards another zone. 

“You heard the lady, whatever happened so many years ago was not your fault, in the end. Let us move; my intuition tells me this is what had to happen, perhaps even for all of us.” He began to walk towards the direction in which the Viera had gone to, signaling to Basch to follow him.

“I wish I could say the same, my friend.” He whispered, as he too, joined the troupe.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tunnels were sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, and there were even tiny rooms inside of the caves; it was not long after that the group reached a room that was different from the others; the walls shone a bright blue and Lamont walked even faster once they were inside. He knelt before one of those distinctive lights and hold it between his small and delicate fingers. 

“This is what I came here to see.” He looked at it as if it was a treasure; and in Vaan’s eyes, it was one of the shiniest things he had ever seen; and it had the nicest shade of blue. It reminded him of the heavens he yearned so much. 

“What’s that?” The sun-kissed teen couldn’t contain himself, he couldn’t stop the question, it was simply too beautiful for him to not be curious about it. He would pass as ignorant, perhaps, to the others behind him.

“It’s Nethicite. Manufactured Nethicite.” Lamont’s voice was sweet and patient, as if he was the adult speaking with a child. Maybe he found himself in a situation where often he needed to be an adult, whereas the actual people who needed to be responsible for him was probably never there to let him be the child he was. 

“Nethicite?” Balthier wasn’t as patient; nor was he kind as Vaan; his question was not asking for an answer, it was demanding an answer; and Lamont did just that, he responded to the desires. 

“Unlike regular magicite, Nethicite absorbs magickal energy.” Why would they want to mass produce something as dangerous was beyond Vaan’s comprehension, but he could see Balthier’s eyes shine in recognition; he had seen Nethicite before, Vaan was almost sure of it. “This is the fruit of research into the manufacture of Nethicite… All at the hands of the Draklor Laboratory.” 

Fran’s ears twitched at the mention of that name, so subtle that it was almost as if it never happened – the expression on Balthier’s eyes grew darker, filled with disdain, Vaan saw, but thought nothing of it, many people hated the empire – Fran and Balthier, for the teenager, were nothing but more people who had a grudge against the empire. 

“So, this is where they’re getting the magicite.” Lamont whispered, softly, wonder in his tone as well as a bit of suspicion and relief; he stood, and went towards one of the walls that were inside of the cave; filled with the brightest hues of blues Vaan had ever seen. 

Balthier began to walk towards Lamont slowly, his shoulders even stiffer than when he first met the child. There was something upsetting about the way he moved, as if he was a hunter, and already had his eyes on a prey. “Errand all attended to, then?” 

“Thank you. I’ll repay you shortly.” Lamont was not looking at Balthier; he was not seeing him approach; nor did he hear the menace in the sky pirate’s voice; there was something there, Balthier was making it clear that he was no longer been friendly, and yet, the child ignored the threat. 

“No, you’ll repay us now. We have too much on our hands to go on holding yours.” He got even closer, pinning Lamont against the wall. “So, where did you hear this fairy tale about ‘Nethicite’? And where did you get that sample you carry? What do you know about the Draklor Laboratories? Tell me, who are you?” 

Vaan knew there was something off with Balthier, he couldn’t pin-point what was it, why did he suddenly become more aggressive towards Lamont, but he wasn’t about to let a child get mistreated just because of a temper tantrum from a man. 

“Balthier—” 

“You kept us waiting, Balthier!” A group of Bangaa appeared; and the sky pirate seemed to be good friends with the bunch, or so thought Vaan sarcastically as he saw the different types of weapons they were carrying. The day just continued to get better and better, it seemed. “You slipped away in Nalbina. We missed you!” They began to get closer and closer, and Vaan felt a grip on his shoulder; the sky pirate put himself as a shield to protect him; his stupid chivalry getting the best of him. “First the judge, and now this boy. The whole affair has the smell of money, I may have to wet my beak a little.” 

“Keep your snout in the trough where it belongs. This thinking ill befits you, Ba’Gamman.” Fran got her bow out, and Vaan was reading a Protective spell; touching softly Balthier’s shoulders while doing so; the teenager was not as stupid as they gave him credit for, he knew who needed the protection the most out of them all, since Balthier was the one they wanted to kill first, all others were just… extra cash. 

“Balthier!” Ba’Gamman laughed, a sickening sound with no grace. “Too long have I gone unpaid! I’ll carve my bounty out of that boy!” 

The conversation was taking too long for Vaan tastes, after casting Protect, he got out from Balthier’s backside and walked a few steps, so he was besides him, not too far from the group but far enough to be threatening on his own. “Where’s Penelo? We’re taking her back!” 

“The girl? Why keep the bait when you’ve landed the fish?” Ba’Gamman pointed his weapon towards Vaan, and the white mage didn’t even flinch, he wasn’t afraid of this excuse of a lizard. “We cut her loose on the way here and then off she ran, crying like a babe!” 

‘Lamont used the distraction to throw the Manufactured Nethecite towards Ba’Gamman’s head; managing to distract him; they all used that moment to push him and run away. They were all quite weak still to deal with the complete bunch; ‘Lamont’ ran fast, which was a relief to Balthier, he just needed to keep Vaan ahead of him, after all, the teenager was the only one the sky pirate wasn’t certain if he could protect himself. Fran and Basch were strong enough to land a few hits, but he signaled the two of them to run, with a hasty move of his hands, he signaled the two behind him to move towards separate passages to they would lose the enemies; Ba’Gamman would follow him, which would allow Basch and Fran to stealthily make their way out of the Lhusu mines. 

It was not long until they lost them; and Vaan and Balthier were left alone on the end of the second bridge inside of the mines. 

“Just to be clear, I never, ever want to be friends with your friends.” Vaan managed to pant out, holding a hand to his chest, trying to control his breathing. Balthier couldn’t help but laugh, when was the last time he thought of someone as a friend? Fran was his mentor, had been his lover, and now was his companion, but he had never related her to a normal friendship. But whenever the parents of one of his friends misspoke, or caused a ruckus, all their families would suddenly… vanish, and Balthier never got tired of questioning his father, and his father never answered what happened to his friends. 

“Well, just to be clear, I didn’t want to be friends with them, either.” And that got a laugh out of the teenager, who recovered his breath quickly. They began to walk towards the exit, hoping to find both Fran and Basch still in one piece. The sky pirate walked in front of Vaan, working as a shield, of sorts, while the Vampyr were alright for the white mage to deal with, he didn’t know if they’d find anything else down there, since they’ve gone deep into the Lhusu mines. 

They walked mostly silently, except whenever Vaan touched his shoulders to cast a Protect, or when he touched an open wound to close it with magic; and again, Balthier thought on how contradictory it felt for Vaan to be a white mage and feeling his magic up-close made him realize just how calming the essence of it was. His personality and his magic were so different, and yet so much alike. 

“I wonder why you were blessed with white magic.” He thought, as he saw Vaan’s eyes inspecting an open wound in his arm, the one he was holding his sword with. “I mean, you look like someone who would take an axe and kill people if they dared to mistreat a friend.” The white mage chuckled, and the wound closed with almost no pain at all. 

“You aren’t wrong, I’d take an axe and kill whoever crossed those I love, but as I told you before, I think it was as a way for me to find happiness, again. I lost so much, but I manage to bring people those who they are about to lose. I guess it might sound silly to you, but in the dark, each time a child is born is like a new light comes to us; to see them breathe is both a relieve to their mother as it is a pain.” 

“A pain?” Balthier questioned, as he moved his hand to check if his arm was fine.

“Yeah, mothers do not know when they’ll eat again, if the child survives, there’s hope, but also more despair; I don’t like thinking too much about it through; since… you know? The less we think the more we appreciate.” 

That was dumb, Balthier knew, but he decided not to point it out. It gave him a new light on who Vaan was; the real him, not the excuse of a mask he was always wearing. They continued walking, sometimes a Bug or a Vampyr making an appearance. Not too soon after, they found Fran, who nodded at them and joined the group again. “We lost them.” Was all she said with a pleased smile on her peaceful face. 

“Much more running about with Bangaa at my heels and I’m apt to give up sky pirating altogether.” No one could believe that statement; Vaan could feel the lie almost as if it pierced him like a dagger. When they reached the entrance, they found Basch hiding behind one of the pillars, signaling them to follow. 

They saw as ‘Lamont’ left the Lhusu mines, walking at a calm pace, undisturbed; as if the whole ordeal with the Bangaa hadn’t happened at all; outside, there was Penelo, standing shyly besides who one would assume was a judge. 

“I see you’ve been out walking without the company of your cortege, lord Larsa.” Said judge spoke, still with his voice annoyingly high for his strong built. Larsa ignored his statement, and simply looked at Penelo, as if expecting an answer without having to ask the question. “We caught her wandering out of the mines, you must take care with such undesirables about.” 

“I was kidnappe—” 

“Silence!” The judge didn’t allow Penelo to finish her statement, but Larsa didn’t allow him to get more violent. He walked right in front of him with the coldness of a prince that knew when he was been lied to.

“If it is a crime to wander on one’s own, then I, too, am guilty.” Frankly, Balthier was impressed by the clear display of power that the child could pull off, it was as if he was trained since birth to be a threat to those who betrayed his trust. It was a scary thought, and he didn’t let it sink for to long as the conversation outside the mines continued. Larsa turned his eyes from the judge to Halim. “Marquis, I trust that your estate can accommodate another guest?” 

The Marquis simply smirked, the coldest and most satisfied expression he had graced the world with that day. “Why not?” 

“Judge Ghis, I shall heed your counsel.” Larsa’s sarcasm and irony was almost palpable, as he approached Penelo and took her by the arm. For a second, he thought she was a very beautiful girl. “I will not travel unaccompanied any longer.” The young lord took Penelo away, the blond woman simply letting herself be dragged away from the mines, confused and speechless. 

“That was unexpected.” Judge Ghis was as astonished, if not more so, than Penelo herself, but there was nothing he could do. 

“Thank you, Penelo.” Was the last thing Vaan heard before the group of armored people and highly dressed individuals began to walk away, with his friend. 

“What’s Penelo doing? And what’s the deal with that Lamont?” The teenager looked so saddened, he trusted ‘Lamont’ to keep Penelo safe, but he was also hurt she had agreed so easily to go with them, not really understanding the situation that happened before his eyes. 

“That’s no Lamont.” Balthier already had his suspicions, he obviously had thrown his cards on the table a long time ago, but there was no definite answer as to who the child was. “Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, fourth son to Emperor Gramis, and brother to Vayne.” He walked off Vaan’s side, finally glad to have a confirmation to what he already suspected. He had known Larsa, he just hasn’t had the chance to see him up close. He was also glad it wasn’t a long-lost brother, God have mercy on his soul. 

“What? That kid!?” Vaan wanted to go and catch up with him so he could rescue Penelo, of course he had just handed his best friend to the empire; why wasn’t he surprised? He was but an idiot; he should’ve left this whole ordeal to the ones that knew best than he did, because obviously all he did was cause more trouble than worth it; maybe if he didn’t need to be protected all the time Balthier would’ve gotten to the entrance faster and he would’ve saved his friend. 

“Do not worry.” Fran’s calming voice try to reach his mind who was already overflown with a million of thoughts on what-ifs. “I believe he will treat her well.” 

He wanted to answer, so badly, that just what did a Viera know, but he didn’t, because he knew she was trying to console him, and even if they were empty words, they were appreciated. Balthier turned to him then, in his face his usual smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Nobody knows men like Fran does.” 

“Our purposes lead the same way: to Ondore.” Basch ignored Balthier’s dirty remark on purpose and decided to diverge the conversation in a direction that would benefit them all. 

The Marquis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole thing has like less than fifteen minutes of actual dialogue in the game.


	2. Confused Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Balthier couldn't understand whether or not Ondore was with them, or against them. He was sure he knew who Amalia was, but other than that, he couldn't tell for sure where the heart of the leader of Bhujerba rested; if with his people, or with none.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard; and these are like less than ten minutes of actual dialogue in the game. This was personally a challenge because I'm always asking for a bit more of banter; like, these people spent at the very least a year together and I'm sure they became friends by the end, but we never really explore their relationships in game, we just kinda see the political situation as it unravels.

The team decided to sleep. Vaan was worried, everyone could see that, but there was nothing they could do now, so the course of action was to rest and follow the plan of ‘making everyone aware that Basch was alive’ the next morning. The teenager wanted to go ahead and break inside of the palace, but Balthier talked him out, making him see the sense that death would be the only result in such a stunt. 

They slept on the Strahl, and it was decided that Fran would sleep with Vaan while Basch and Balthier shared a room; the two sky pirates had discussed that it would be best for the teen to avoid sleeping with the other man, even if he said that he had already forgiven him and everything was water under the bridge, Fran could hear his heartbeat whenever Basch was close to him, and it was not a happy sound; he was still hurting from the lost of his brother. 

Vaan and Fran were left alone in their room, there were a few flowers, some the adolescent had never seen before. Fran watered them, and the tranquility of the image was beyond words; then she began to take her armor off, not a bit ashamed of her body, which was as gorgeous naked as it was armored. Vaan turned around, to give her some sense of privacy as she gathered clothes that were fit better for sleep.

“I’m not preoccupied by you looking, young one.” Vaan could hear the smile on her voice, it was funny, she knew he was embarrassed, when the whole situation should’ve been in reverse. “I’m too old to know when someone lusts after me, and I know you don’t.” 

“How do you know?” He decided to sit in bed then, looking at her as she got ready, a tint of red never leaving his youthful features. “I mean, I’m a man.” 

The Viera chuckled softly. “You been a man has nothing to do with what you lust after.” She put on a blouse that was way too big for her; she looked comfortable and ready to sleep; she let her hair down, it reached bellow her rear. “You were surprised, when you saw me, yes. But your pupils never dilated, nor did your heartbeat increase at a pace that spoke to me about desire; so, I do not need to hide from you, even now, you can’t hide any of your movements from me, I can hear all of your muscles twitch.” 

“That’s… one nice superpower, I suppose.” He laughed awkwardly, it was true that he had never thought of a woman in a way that would speak of desire; Fran was stating facts about his wishes and lack of lust towards her. He also didn’t have much time to think of anything other than his worry for Penelo, which was written all over his face. He felt the bed move a bit, and the Viera was now sitting besides him, looking at him as if she was looking at a child; perhaps she was a bit older than what she looked? About ten years older than Vaan was what he had thought when he first saw her. 

“You wear your heart on your sleeve, and the mist around you is pure, as a child; it’s also warm, like the sun of your homeland; it just means you’re loved by the place you were born at.” She touched his forehead with one of her big long fingers. “So much, in fact, that the energy of it follows you whenever you go; you’re the definition of a child of the sands.” She laid then, on the bed, looking at the ceiling. She had no intentions on turning her back on him, so he did the same, but instead of looking up, he decided to watch the Viera instead; maybe looking at her would make it easier for him to forget that his friend was now on the hands of the empire. 

“What are the Viera like?” Fran’s ears twitched at the question, but other than that nothing changed, but he could see that he had unsettled her by his question, which in turn made him want to change it altogether. “…that is if you wish to answer.” 

“Not now, no. In turn, I’d like to know more about you.” She turned her head, so her eyes met his. “Who are you, Vaan?” 

“No one, if you ask the highborn of Rabanastre, a good person, if you ask the lowborn.” He stated simply; and the Viera smiled; the duality of it all made it funny to her; so many would think of her as a savior, even Balthier at some point in his life would’ve referred to her as such, but so many others would think of her as a demon, one that would turn her arrows in fire and shot them mercilessly at her enemies. She could relate to Vaan, in a way, perhaps because he was so empty, that everyone could just simply see themselves in him – or maybe that’s who he wanted people to believe he was. “I don’t even think I have a last name.” 

“Neither do I, do you think a last name defines you?” She saw his eyes twitch at the question; Balthier would’ve loved to answer that – he had a last name that would follow him forever, one that, even if he changed his name, would haunt him for the rest of his life, and yet, he was not defined by it, he was showered by the past that stalked him, but who Balthier was wasn’t an answer to a question of who he had been. “Names means nothing, young one; nor does the past, really, who we become is an answer to who we want to become, nothing is written.” 

“Lowborn doesn’t need such a thing; those who are unimportant to society have no need of something as fancy as a family name.” He closed his eyes; feeling the Viera still looking at him. 

“That just means you all are family, doesn’t it?”

That was the last thing he heard before he was claimed by sleep. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They awoke early, Fran before Vaan, just at the sun started to rise. The Viera gently shook the adolescent awake; he was laying on her shoulder, and she had to hold in a soft laugh. He reminded her of her sister, such a light inside of them, loved deeply by the place they were born; warm and pure, it was almost unfair for them to be exposed to the horridness of war. “Vaan, wake up.” 

He did, after a few seconds, his confused expression clearing a yawn later. He saw Fran, who was already standing up and getting ready for the day. “There’s a shower at the end of the hall, if you want to get some of the dirt out of the Lhusu mines, I’ll go after you.” 

He took the offer brightly; it had been way too long since he had taken a good shower; there were a few rivers outside of Rabanastre, which he would use to clean himself, but he could count about two to three times in which he managed to sneak into a bathhouse. He stood up faster than Fran could’ve thought, and went straight to the end of the hall, not wasting any time in good mornings. Balthier saw him running as he got out of the room, and leaned against the doorframe, looking at the direction the adolescent had just taken. He then looked at Fran, who had just gotten out of her room, with a questioning look. 

“I told him there’s a shower here.” She chuckled. 

He didn’t know if he was saddened or amused by the reaction. 

Everyone was ready an hour later; Basch was the one that took the longest to shower, no one questioned him on that; two years without cleaning one’s self up after being used to washing everyday might cause someone to clean more avidly than those who didn’t go through that experience. The plan went on as they had agreed the day before, Vaan would scream on the streets that indeed, he was Basch fon Ronsenburg and that he was alive. No one would catch Balthier doing it, but he followed around Vaan to make sure no one tried to hurt him; the more time it passed, the more he felt like a babysitter, and Fran wouldn’t let that die if she was to realize what he was doing. 

So, he followed him quietly, leaving Basch and Fran alone with the excuse of going to check for some pistols for his collection. Back at the empire, he was trained to become a machinist; the reason he changed to the sword was solely because he hated to be related to Archadia in any way. It was silly, he knew, since he rode an Archadian ship, but it helped him deal. 

Balthier saw Vaan getting close to one of the guards, and they weren’t exactly the kindest of them all and they didn’t appreciate noise; he wanted to stop him, but he was supposed to be on an undercover mission, so he simply let him be reprimanded by the guard. Lesson learnt, the next group of people was a Bangaa and a few humans. They all seemed to be… almost happy at the announcement; and in the smile that Vaan was wearing, one could see that he wasn’t exactly pleased… but it was him who had wanted to help. 

That’s how Balthier spent the rest of the day, looking out for Vaan in case the situation got heated; or some citizen got too aggressive. He cared for others, he was selfish but not the type to abandon someone to their own luck. That was why he had taken the kid with him, to begin with; he didn’t want to leave it alone in the sewers, even through he seemed to know his ways around them; and in the end, Vaan’s little show resulted just how Balthier expected it to. 

“You. Boy. You will come with us.” Vaan was surrounded by five soldiers; and Balthier needed to hide behind one pillar close by so he wouldn’t be caught observing. Great, to rescue the princess, he supposed. 

 

Vaan was shoved into a room with little to no respect; inside, Bangaa and humans were expecting him, looking at him as if he was about to be judged. “This is the one, Havharo. Says he’s captain Basch he does.” 

“He would sooner pass for the King.” Depending on which King Havharo meant, everyone in the room might’ve agreed. Rasler looked surprisingly like Vaan. Balthier, along with Basch and Fran, was soon to find the spot they were hiding in and was listening the conversation as it happened; if they weren’t getting aggressive, he might as well hear what they were on about. 

“I knew he weren’t no captain! That was a mean trick to be playing.” The Bangaa who had been friendly enough to ‘escort’ Vaan into the room whined. 

“If at trickery it ended, it would end well enough. But why this boy, and why captain Ronsenburg?” Havharo was not taking any chances, he knew something was up; the adolescent in front of him was making a ruckus that was too specific, just after the imperial visit, just after the rumors of a breaking out that happened on the Barheim Passage, perhaps this was a trick that the empire was pulling; so many possibilities… “An explanation is due, and I will hear it. The empire’s hounds grow passing bold indeed.” 

This was Balthier’s cue, he knew Vaan wasn’t prepared to answer questions such at those, and he wasn’t about to let him get hurt in case he got mistaken by someone of the empire; the aggression between the kingdoms was too much, and even at the assumption of treachery one would get murder and their bodies never found. He had even gotten paid over a few mercenary jobs, not his proudest moments, but it had happened. “A shame if they learnt the Marquis trafficked with the likes of you.” 

He wasn’t happy, either, with the way they were throwing accusations; just how many people had they killed that didn’t have a reason other than joking around; they could say all they wanted that ‘if at trickery it ended, it would end well enough’, who were they lying to, if simple words caused them to become agitated enough to call push someone in – it was the point, really, to cause such a ruckus that they would be allowed to meet the Marquis, but still; if they were such a secret organization that trafficked magicite, then they were failing at keeping it ‘secret’. “Agents masquerading as guides. A hideout at the back of a tavern… Not exactly earning high marks for originality, are we?” 

The Bangaa took personal offense towards those words. Balthier would become famous soon as the man hated the most by them, if this kept going. “Now you’ve done it.” 

“Wait!” Havharo screamed as he took in the view before his eyes. A man tall, broad shoulders, blond as if the sun rained in his hair… There was a scar in his face, that was new. “So Basch fon Ronsenburg does yet live.” 

“I live, Havharo. I’m here to finish what should’ve been done two years ago.” 

Basch proceeded to tell the group of men, who Balthier was still not quite fond of, about his twin brother, and about the ‘end’ of the war. No one agreed, of course, but was a façade that must’ve been kept, for civility. Everyone listened in closely, and Vaan was increasingly uncomfortable as the story continued to be told, his brother still to close to his heart. Fran stood close to him, her heart knowing all too well the pain of losing family, even if not in the same way as Vaan did. 

“I knew there must be more to it, but to find you at the end of this tale…” Harhavo wasn’t happy, but his voice sounded relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders that had been there for quite too long. “Ah, to see the Marquis’ face when he learns of it.” 

Basch’s shoulders relaxed for the first time in days, things going his way for once in his lifetime. “I should like nothing more. I would meet him and see for myself.” 

“How say you, my lord?” Havharo asked towards the cat-humanoid – Rev was the name of the species, if Balthier remembered well – in the room, which seemed to be a member of Halim’s court. His expression was calm, as if the world didn’t perturb him, and Vaan wondered, by the edge of the room, how was it that people managed to keep all their emotions in check. He hated that, he could never see what they thought, what was going through their minds. 

He could feel someone’s eyes looking at him, and he found Balthier looking straight to his face. Vaan questioned him, and he saw the sky pirate put a finger on his own frown, massaging it; telling the adolescent that, once again, his emotions were showing too much on his face. He was already hiding so much; there shouldn’t be a trouble learning how to cover up his instant reactions, as well. He took the hint, and his face, which showed the tinniest hints of anger returned to one of someone passive that was barely even listening. 

“There is little to be said.” The Rev spoke, his voice clear and loud for everyone to hear. “I shall arrange a meeting with the Marquis. We shall expect you at the estate.” With that, he took his leave; and soon after Balthier’s troupe followed. 

“We should probably upgrade a bit on our armory and weaponry.” Basch stopped suddenly; looking at their youngest companion whose clothes were barely holding on together. “I wouldn’t like to head in unprepared.” 

The teenager looked down to what he was wearing; an excuse of a vest, his family’s crest – at least, what his brother told him was his family crest – and his pants, which were way too big for him to wear. Of course, Basch was talking about him; if he had been more obvious he might as well had told his name. But he also checked his money, little over a hundred golds. They all went to the store, and Vaan just stayed behind as they all looked for armor to use. Balthier was checking something heavier, since his ability to use magic was limited, he used more his raw power, which was something to be reckoned with; and what he had on now, while pleasing to the eyes, was too light for it to be useful while in close combat. Fran was the only one that wasn’t looking for armor, but gloves; she said that the gloves she had were half of a pain when she was trying to shoot an arrow, so she needed to change them. “If I could find one that went along with the armor I would be happy.” She whispered, while checking all the merchandise. 

Time passed slowly inside of the store; Vaan felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around, finding Balthier holding a robe in his hand. “You need your gear improved, thief.” The pet name sounded sour in his ears, and he looked down to the sky pirate’s hands. Was he some sort of charity work? He didn’t need things to be brought for him, if he wanted something he would get it himself. 

Balthier was reading his expression like an open book, he had offended the teenager; and if he was another person he might’ve thought he didn’t care, and he wasn’t all that sure that he cared in this case, either way, but the face that Vaan was making didn’t sit well in his chest, it almost felt as if he had kicked a dog – which even if an accident, would always feel terrible. “Vaan.” The sky pirate said, softly, his voice still with an edge of irony at the end of it; perhaps it was his accent. “We don’t know what might be expecting us, you want to be well for your friend, right? Well, this robe will help you; and trust me, its way more stylish than what you have on right now.” 

The adolescent looked up, to meet Balthier’s eyes – stupid sky pirate who had the tendency of being right. He took the clothes from the other’s hand and looked at them. It was a beautiful robe, made with one of the softest cotton sailcloth that Vaan had ever seen, it was a deep blue color, and it tied on the waist; there were some designs on its sleeves. The teenager looked at the sky pirate again, it was probably the best thing he had been given in a long while. “Thank you.” Was all he could say, and Balthier nodded, not saying anything, but a pleased smile decorating his face. 

Fran heard the exchange at a distance, and a very uncharacteristic grin bloomed on her face, as she heard a very particular heartbeat increase its pacing. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vaan felt strange, walking with his new robes around the town. He noticed that there weren’t too many people outside of the pilgrimage that decided to use magic robes; which made him look a bit different than most. Under the robes, Balthier had also gotten him some pants and a sark. He felt different, perhaps because it was a bit different from what he was used to. His clothes no longer had holes in places where they shouldn’t be, nor was he half naked, for once. 

They reached the entrance to the palace, where there were two soldiers guarding. Balthier stood in front of the group, Basch a little behind him; Fran and Vaan been left as the last of the line. “His excellency the Marquis is otherwise occupied until sunset. Please, I will show you to the place where you may wait in comfort.” 

There was not much to do, while they waited. Basch and Fran sat besides a bookshelf and were reading – Vaan went ahead and asked the Viera what her book was about, and she told him it was a stupidly romantic story of a princess who mindlessly fell in love with a dark knight; but she was engaged with the prince of said dark knight – and the prince was also in love with someone else. She described it as a mindless drama, something she’d usually never read, but all the other books were about the history of Ivalice; thing she studied before, and something that required her to be concentrated and have much more time; so, she settled for the drama. Vaan didn’t ask Basch what he was reading; but he did assume that the ex-commander was probably reading of the history of Ivalice; he seemed like that type of person, stoic and kind-hearted. Vaan wished he could hate him. 

The adolescent went to one balcony that had the view of the entire city of Bhujerba. A beautiful city, where everyone lived almost equally – almost, because he knew there were those who were richer and those who weren’t as rich, but no one really seemed to be starving – maybe that was what Rabanastre should aim for, everyone living under the sun. 

Balthier was sitting on the edge of the balcony, a cigar on his hand; he was also looking at the city; he seemed to be very lost in thought. “Hey.” Vaan whispered, as he came close to him, leaning into the balustrades, resting his arms on them. 

“Hey.” Great conversation Balthier, it was a pleasure, Vaan thought as he tried to come up with things to talk about, but honestly, he knew so little of the sky pirate… and he probably didn’t trust him enough to speak about what was on his mind, Fran was a different story; she acted as if she had nothing to hide, and even if she didn’t speak much, she could still speak her mind without reservations. Balthier through, he was so closed, he talked so much his voice might break; and he used his voice, but how much of the words he spoke came from the heart? How much he would reveal about his mind, his thoughts? Vaan thought of him the same as the Rev from before; someone who would appear calm even amidst the storms, and that bothered the teenager to no end. 

“What’s on your mind?” Vaan saw Balthier inhaling from the cigar, and exhaling, the air that came out of his mind bathed in the white of the smoke. 

“Nothing much, mind is mostly blank. Maybe missing a bit of vodka, there’s a good one sold here, the kissing sirens, is called – tastes like apple.” Vaan was kind of stressed at the position Balthier was sitting in, his legs on the side that only led to a free fall; but he trusted the man enough to think he knew what he was doing. “Or maybe a good wine, but the best one is sold in Rabanastre. Have you ever had Abd al Hakim?” 

“Too expensive; all the alcohol I could afford was Red Queen, made by a group of Seeq they love alcohol almost as much as they love women.” Vaan laughed light-heartedly, one of his hands ruffling his hair; he felt Balthier’s eyes on him. “Thank you about earlier.” 

“The clothes? Can’t be bothered taking too much care of you because you’re unprepared, the leading man isn’t a babysitter.” The sky pirate smirked, and Vaan hated him for the longest of seconds; but at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder what life would be like if he was on his shoes, even if for just a single day. “I’m being completely serious now, though, don’t worry about it.” 

“I wasn’t even talking about the clothes, would be nice if you let a man finish with his thoughts.” 

“Barely a man.” The sky pirate laughed, letting the cigar go with the wind and turning his head to look fully towards Vaan. “Tell me then, why you are thanking me for?” 

“I was making an absolute mess of myself with the Rev, earlier; I don’t think I know his name.” Vaan looked down to his feet, playing with them, touching the back of his neck softly with his right hand. “Pretty stupid to thank you for that, but still, thank you.” 

“Indeed, it is pretty stupid.” But he guessed it was also endearing. The naivety of his companion was something he wasn’t getting tired of; they had known each other for about two weeks now – getting lost in the desert was an experience he would much rather not talk about – and all he had seen up until that moment where the qualities that made a child, well, a kid. He was stupid, his feelings were hard to sort out even for himself, but he was also passionate, and loving. A living contradiction, someone who wasn’t still a complete person, at least, not yet. Who would he become, Balthier wondered, if he were to grow out of the cocoon of the social structure that Rabanastre had saddled him into. “But, you are welcome; the sun is almost setting, we should probably head inside; its almost time for us to meet the Marquis.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The walk around the castle was silent, the guards looked at them as if they were not welcomed. Balthier had thought so once they managed to get inside and they were isolated to one of the wings of the palace on one of the highest floors, but also because the doors that led outside said wings were covered in guards. Perhaps they were less ‘guests’ and more prisoners; which was fine with him, he would just take his Viera friend and Vaan and go into hiding. He knew some places in Bhujerba where they could go until the ruckus died down; and he just needed to say a word to his Kupo friend and he would move the Strahl for him, picking them up. Enemies of Bhujerba? Maybe, but he was used to making enemies with big cities. 

However, Basch didn’t seem to mind the attention he was receiving, perhaps he already knew and had a plan to escape, or maybe accepting death was easier than having to face the life that hey had to live, and the guilt which he still felt deep inside. They reached the Marquis’ office in no time, and he was sitting in his desk, high and mighty, like every King and Queen. 

When was the last time he could remember royalty acting like normal humans? He’d had to ask Fran later, she must’ve known about some royals from old times that spoke like they were equals to their people. Halim, however, was the royal Balthier liked the most, his people lived in better conditions than most of the other countries in the continent – without counting the Garif and Viera tribes, which were little nations of their own. The Nu mou might’ve been equals, as well, hadn’t Nalbina fallen.

“Sir Basch fon Ronsenburg.” Halim sounded almost surprised, almost – Balthier was sure he was informed of the break-out that happened in Barheim. “It was not so very long ago that I announced you had been executed.” 

“And that is the only reason I draw breath.” So, it had been a scheme from the two parts; but why would someone insist on keeping another person alive if they weren’t meant to be let out, it was a strange strategy the one Halim had in mind, playing his cards dangerously close to his chest. 

“You are the sword he’s strung above my head.” The Marquis shook his head, looking down to his desk. “Vayne has left not a thing to chance. And?” 

“A leader of the resistance has fallen into imperial hands.” Basch must’ve been speaking about the princess Ashelia D’nargin Dalmasca; the first one to raise against the empire, utilizing the darkness and her assumed suicide to create an army of her own that would help her liberate Dalmasca from the cold hands of the Imperial Army. “A woman by the name of Amalia… I would rescue her, but I need your help.” 

“This resistance leader – this Amalia.” Halim knew who was Basch speaking of; the way he straightened his back and his shoulders tensed up; he must’ve been aware of who she was, he probably was even in with the whole resistance and showing support from the shadows, since the very start – so why were the soldiers so on edge? “She must be very important.” The ex-commander simply brought a hand to his chest and bowed slightly; while Halim stood up and began to circle his desk. “You understand I’ve my position to consider.” 

“Would you let us see Larsa?” Vaan couldn’t understand the art of subtlety; and of course, he interrupted the whole conversation to ask for his friend – and Balthier could understand, really, politics weren’t really the reason why the adolescent had accompanied them, all he wanted was to rescue Penelo, which had turned out to be a bit more complicated that they had anticipated. Ba’Gamnan had turned to be the tiniest of their problems. “He’s got my friend with him.” 

Halim looked at Vaan strangely; in the few seconds his eyes fell on the teenager, he felt as if he was being examined by the Marquis; as if he was being looked upon searching for worth. “I’m afraid you’re too late. Lord Larsa’s cortege has already rejoined the imperial detachment; I am told they will depart for Rabanastre upon the arrival of the fleet this eventide.”

Vaan turned on his feet and was about to run out the door, Balthier catching him just in time. “What are we waiting for!?” The sky pirate sighed, he was turning more and more into a caretaker, he wished there were a few monsters for him to impale. 

“For you to calm down.” Was all he said, getting both his hands on Vaan shoulder’s and looking him in the eyes. 

“Captain Ronsenburg.” The Marquis’ authority was now noticeable in the way he was speaking, not that it was absent before, but now, he was using the power structure to his benefit to make it known that Basch was in a difficult spot. “Surely the exigencies of position are not lost on you. Why indeed, you should find the enemy’s chains… An easy burden to bear.” 

Balthier’s suspicions were right all along, all he could scream before hell broke loose was “Wait!” 

Basch got his sword out – his expression through; wasn’t one of a man that was about to murder a leader, which confused the sky pirate, and the confusion only served to frustrate the teenager with them even more; the guards were called forth soon; and all the ex-archadian judge could hear were the protests of the teenager that was with them. 

He wanted a damn good explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The robes I'm talking about are mystic armor (3); wizard's robes.  
> The clothing underneath is Mystic armor (1); light woven shirt. 
> 
> The Revs: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Rev  
> The Bangaas: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Bangaa  
> The Nou Mou: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Nu_mou  
> The Seeq: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Seeq
> 
> As for the alcohol, none of the names I've mentioned here are actual merchandise, I invented those; please don't go asking around for them xD


	3. Dreadnought Leviathan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saving Penelo turned out to be harder than any of them had accounted for, and Basch expected it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel as if I have physically tried to reach the tomb of raithwall myself, and we haven't even gotten to it yet.

Two days they spent inside another ship, waiting to be delivered towards a main fleet. 

They were left on their own in one transportation ship; which was the moment Balthier took to look back at Basch with a question planted on his face. “The only way inside was to cause a ruckus, Ondore trusts that if I got out of Barheim, I’ll get out of an Archadian ship; along with Amalia.” Basch whispered; Vaan couldn’t believe him, he wanted to stand up and slap him back into his senses, the plan was pure speculation, what if they couldn’t get out of the ship? Would Ondore just bet for their success putting at risk not only the leader of the revolt but also an ex-commander and even civilians? What kind of kingdom survived based on trickery and bets as unsafe as this one? 

Balthier was checking in each of the twitches the teenager was giving, and he could see how Fran’s ears were moving uncomfortably. He luckily was sitting besides him, which allowed him to speak his mind without risking being heard by the pilot. “Calm down, we’ll get out, with both Amalia, and if possible, Penelo.” The sky pirate looked at Vaan, the edge of irony nowhere to be found in his voice, nothing but determination resting where the sarcasm would lay. “So, breathe – I’m not leaving anyone behind.” 

Vaan did. He took in some deep breathes and allowed himself to calm down while they reached one of the main Archadian ships that were supposed to leave for Rabanastre; Fran, however, didn’t seem to be able to lose her discomfort, and Balthier was beginning to worry. “Nothing that has to do with the empire is ever easy.” Vaan whispered, and dear Gods, he just didn’t know how right he was. 

Basch simply laughed bitterly; obviously, he could relate. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They entered on a ship that didn’t seem to know what the light of day was, so few windows it was almost impossible to see what was happening on the outside. The ambient of it was so rusty, so old – if Vaan could put it into words, he might’ve thought of the ship as an old man, with little to no friends that visited him. His eyes roamed around, so many soldiers whose faces where barely visible with their helmets on. He wondered if they were happy, to be so covered, so much that they almost seemed to have no individuality, since one could tell almost no difference between one or the other; was that the point of an army? To have people stripped of their individual features so all they represented was the power of their homes? He felt a tinge of sadness pull the strings of his heart. 

Suddenly, a gate opened letting the sun wash over the group, along with the many people that were inside the piloting room of the old ship. Once they’ve gotten in, all of them were chained up in a line, which didn’t allow themto move too far from one another; he felt uneasy, he had gotten himself caught one too many times in just a few weeks; he was beginning to wonder if the grandiosity of the sky pirate’s life was all but tales; and they spent more time inside of cages than they did outside. He sighed softly, if there was no hope for him in the skies nor on the ground, where was he supposed to hide? 

They walked, silently. Balthier could feel the eyes of many resting on him, they could see who he was, they recognized him, and he feared. He had abandoned that life so long ago, he thought they would’ve forgotten about who he was; but he knew there were many soldiers there who might’ve seen him grow. He was almost certain he was hearing voices, whispers of the name he didn’t carry already, and he, for once, was glad that the people that were with him – all except for Fran – didn’t truly know who he was. 

They were taken down, then. To another ship, one which was bigger, stronger; it seemed more like a battle ship than the one they were just in; Gods, he hated just how much need to show off power the empire had; they lived from the intimidation, it was almost as if they didn’t have anything else to show other than their grand army of people with no names, no faces, and if Archadia got what it wanted, no future; since in war, there’s nothing but lost and sorrow. 

And Balthier could recognize the ship; its name Dreadnought Leviathan. 

They were taken to the principal room of the Dreadnought, few soldiers, a judge and ‘Amalia’ waited inside; and Amalia was less than happy to see the group arrive. Of course, if Balthier was to take a wild guess, it wasn’t because of them all, but specifically the ex-commander who was thought to be executed. Balthier could see the similarities between her and Vaan, through her anger was much more graceful and mature than the adolescent’s. The finesse of royalty, along with its prepotency; or that was what the sky pirate thought right up until the princess came and slapped Balthier on the face. He could see much more similarities between her and Vaan, now. 

“After what you’ve done! How dare you!” The reaction was only natural, through unfit for a future queen; Balthier could feel Vaan look around uncomfortably, as if he was reminded of his own actions towards the ex-commander. Balthier sighed, people were too prompt to violence, these days. “You’re supposed to be dead!” Her anger was clear as day, rage written in every word with no shame – in his childhood, he could remember Vayne being taught about how to control his own emotions, since anger was a feeling unsuitable for a prince. He found him, once, cutting off the head of a beautiful bird, that used to be his mother’s, few days after her mother had died. Perhaps to put too much control on one’s emotions did nothing good for the psyche; Balthier couldn’t tell. 

“Come now, come now; have you forgotten your manners?” The judge from before, the one with a pitch a tad too high of voice to compare to his body – his name Ghis, if Balthier wasn’t wrong, spoke. “This is hardly the courtesy due the late princess Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca.” Something inside Balthier told him there was no point in hiding it any longer, and he was right – and yet, he suspected it would’ve been later that her identity would’ve been compromised. 

“Princess?” Vaan, of course, was unaware – he must’ve known, however, that she was not of low lineage, but to be told that she was indeed a princess must’ve been a shock; more than show about the revelation itself – Balthier jumped at the high tone his young companion used to question her. 

“To be sure, she bears no proof of her former station.” Ghis walked to stand beside her. “No different than any mean member of the insurgence. The resistance.” Balthier could feel the smile under his helmet, sick psychopath, there was almost a celebration in his tone, as if he had won a war – no, it was only just begun. “The consul asks the ministry of the dethroned royal family in restoring peace to Dalmasca.” The Judge looked at Ashelia, then, and even in his body language one could feel the perversion that he was emanating. “Those who foster instability and unrest, who claim royal blood without proof, they shall meet their fate at the gallows. There are no exceptions.” 

Ashelia turned her head and looked straight to the Judge’s eyes; the flame of her hurt pride burning bright in her eyes. “I will not play puppet to Vayne.” 

Basch looked to Ashelia, and then to his feet. “King Raminas entrusted me with a task.” His eyes again fell on the princess’, there was a sadness that couldn’t be described resting there; a man filled with so many regrets there wouldn’t be enough time in his life to count them. “Should the time come, he bade me give you something of great importance. It is your birthright; the dusk shard.” Basch turned his gaze from Ashelia to the judge. “It will warrant the quality of her blood. Only I know where to find it.”

“Wait!” The princess was not to abide to the wishes of common men, specially one she despised. “You took my father’s life! Why spare mine now? You would have me live in shame!” 

Basch answer was short, simple, and clear as the sun in the desert. “If that is your duty, yes.” The princess’ eyes lit in realization; she had a responsibility to live, to her people, she owed them their freedom. 

“Stop being so stubborn!” Balthier looked at Vaan, for the first time not astonished about his childishness, but because he sounded much more mature than the image he gave to others. “Keep on like this and you’re going to get us all killed.” 

“Don’t interrupt!” Ashelia’s scream echoed in everyone’s ears. Vaan was right, though, but he was treated as if he had no right to speak. No one really heard what an orphan had to say, anyways. They didn’t matter, they didn’t have a right to have a voice; they were nothing but lowborn, children to the eyes of those who had riches to support their livelihood. Vaan looked down, and Fran simply looked at Ashelia, trying to read her; finding it within herself to get beyond her discomfort. The princess was hurting, and she was lashing out on everyone around her, Vaan was just the easiest of targets to hurt since he held no ground on the conversation. 

The teenager looked down, awkwardly and hurt; when suddenly, from his pocket inside of his robe, a light began to shine with the brightness and color of the burning sun. Balthier approached him, and with both hands he managed to get the treasure they’ve found earlier on the palace. It burnt to the touch, but it was not a pain too hard for him not to withstand. 

“That stone…” Basch whispered. 

“It was in the palace treasure.” Vaan explained; Ashelia looked at him almost with disgust; her eyes following his every movement. Balthier stood next to him then, holding in both his hands the stone that was still shining; now brighter because it was closer to the princess. 

“Splendid! You’ve brought the stone with you! This spares us a great deal of trouble.” The Judge extended his hands towards Balthier; who was pressing tightly onto the stone. 

Ashelia began to walk towards the sky pirate but was held back. “Don’t give it to him!” She screamed, she was desperate; but at this point was to give up the stone and hope for the best or to die like a dog. He turned to Vaan and Fran, he was already sure of his decision, but he wanted to have some sort of reassurance on his choice. Fran nodded, and Vaan looked at him unsure. Balthier gave him a comforting look. 

“Wait, Balthier…” Vaan took hold of Balthier’s sleeve, looking towards the Judge. “You have to promise, no executions.” The sky pirate looked at him and shook his head, there was no way an Archadian was going to keep such a promise; but it was death now, or death later. He could prepare a plan of escaping with little more time. His lips silently pleaded Vaan not to worry, and he gave up the stone. 

“A Judge’s duty is to the law.” Ghis turned his back on them; and Balthier knew he wasn’t going to agree to let them go; so, he simply breathed and looked down to Vaan, who in turn was gazing Ashelia worriedly. The sky pirate thought for a second that he might’ve been overreading the adolescent’s expression, but he seemed truly preoccupied with the princess. “Take them away. Lady Ashe is to be quartered separately.” 

As they were taken away, the image of the Judge stood tall and cold on the other side of the main room of the Dreadnought Leviathan. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They walked through a few halls, people still whispering on their backs – it was a name Vaan had never heard before; there were speculations and questions thrown around, voices of females and males wondering if they were just seeing things. The teenager had to assume they were talking about Ashelia, since she was supposed to be dead, or perhaps talking about Basch – since he was supposedly gone from the world of the living, as well. 

As they moved, Vaan noticed that he felt strange without the weight of the rock moving inside of his pocket; he hadn’t taken the chance to feel that the rock was warm, and now that it was gone, he felt strangely cold – it was almost as if he missed the contact with the strange trinket, which he didn’t dare to sell. He felt… jittery, without it. 

“So, you were carrying it all along, the fates jest.” Basch pulled him out of his thoughts once they reached what seemed to be an open space inside of the Dreadnought. The teenager looked at the ex-commander, trying to look for words to answer, but he was… tired of trying to communicate with him, or with people that would regard him as lesser, in general – like Ashelia had done before. 

“Tell these fates of yours to leave me out.” Balthier whispered as he accelerated his pace – he was fine with saving a friend of a kid, even with saving a princess, but Gods, he hated Archadia so much; he knew he had to face the reality of his ancestry soon, and yes, he could agree that perhaps it was for the best that the many deities he didn’t believe in had put him in the path they were now, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to his anger; Fran had also been jittery ever since their arrival on the ship and now the feeling was only increasing, he’d hope she would calm down, but nothing was working much for her, her ears were twitching in all directions, as if she was expecting something. Vaan on the other hand had been quiet ever since his confrontation with the princess. 

“There was nothing else I could do, you know that.” They’ve discussed so since they reached the fleet; they all knew there was nothing that could be done. Balthier just hoped Halim’s hopes weren’t on the wrong face of the coin. 

“Oh, I understand, honor, duty, and all that.” Worthless, in the long run, but he could understand. He had been thinking for a while if he had to continue the lie, about him not knowing the identity of the princess; perhaps it was safer for him to continue playing the oblivious pirate – keeping his cards close to his chest was the thing he did the best; and he also needed the guard behind him to attack him. “I still can’t believe that was the princess.” 

The guard with the lance was the first one to fall for the trap; he tried to strike Balthier on the shoulder, which resulted in the sky pirate taking hold of his weapon. He maneuvered it out of the soldier’s grasp and stroke him right on the neck; ruthlessly. Vaan stood beside Fran as she kicked one man that tried to approach the two of them – for a moment, the teenager could’ve sworn he heard her growl. After the short-lived fight, just one man was left standing – and as strange as it sounded, he took one of the soldiers down himself. Basch and Balthier looked at him strangely, until he took his helmet off. Underneath, there was a man the ex-commander knew. The sky pirate, however, didn’t, and he was about to strike him down, until Basch took hold of his hands and made him drop the lance. 

“The Marquis has been busy.” Basch stated, looking straight into the other man’s eyes. 

“Not lightly did I beg his aid.” The new member of their group seemed exasperated; but, if Fran was listening well, there was something off in the way his heart was beating; she paid no heed, since it was Basch friend, but she kept it in mind to talk to Balthier about it, later; now she was still too much on edge and it would just cause an unnecessary disturbance to the conversation at hand. “Listen, it has been a full two years. I alone have kept her majesty safely hidden.” Not so safely if her identity was out in the open on an Archadian ship that was supposed to head back to the Empire, if someone asked Vaan, but he decided to keep those thoughts to himself. The man who had already been recognized as an ally began to take off the handcuffs from Basch hands. “I doubted friend and foe alike. I could trust nobody.” 

“You did your duty, and mine for me.” Basch was drowning in his self-deprecation and sorrow, and yet there he was, like a wall, impenetrable. Vaan once again wished he could hate him, touching his chest, where his heart rested, playing a bit with the ring that his brother had left him. “I’m getting her out. I need your help.” 

“Of course.” 

His name was Vossler. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Dreadnought was an absolute nightmare; if Vaan had to walk the sewers eleven times, call for the Gods in the middle of hell and return to Rabanastre to dance over a table in the bar, it might’ve been, probably, comparable to what he was experiencing right now. There were soldiers everywhere, and the security mechanism was painfully obvious, and yet, sometimes, they’d find themselves in situation where there was no helping but going through the lasers. 

The guards were so constantly over them that the teenager had felt nauseous after casting a protect over Basch and Balthier – as if he was running of magical energy; Basch turned around more than once trying to see if both the Viera and the adolescent were alright, and when he saw just how pale Vaan was turning, he felt the waves of panic wash over him. The sky pirate looked inside of the pockets of his pants, trying to see if he could… there, he had one, an ether. “Try to be mindful with your magic; back in Rabanastre you could go to the closest recovery crystals and the fluctuations of your energy would return to normal, here there’s no recovery crystal; don’t worry about us so much. Save your energy for Penelo.” 

Easier said than done, specially when the three men had the tendency of heading heads-on towards a horde of enemies. Fran’s eyes were almost red as she lit one of her arrows aflame and threw it towards a group of guards that were calmly waiting for order. Vaan wouldn’t had thought anything of it other than serving for a distraction… until the blasted thing exploded, rendering the complete group of soldiers confused and hurt; which was when Bash, Balthier and Vossler approached them and finished the job. Vaan turned to look at Fran, and she simply gazed at him, a mirage of a smile on her lips. The teenager chuckled, the Viera was more dangerous than she led on. 

Not much time was spent in their exploration – some treasures stolen, about fifty percent of the guards on the ship defeated – when they managed to reach Ashelia’s cage. It was closed; but there were some tricks that one’s only able to learn while living as a thief. Vaan managed to break the lock with almost no effort. Ashe was sitting on what seemed to be a bed, her head hung low, and her eyes filled with tears. Vaan pitied her; when she wasn’t looking down on him, and speaking as if he was garbage, she seemed much, much younger, which she probably was – the weight of a kingdom resting on the shoulders of someone who was barely even a woman. Once they entered her prison, and she heard their presences; she stood, astonished, excitedly – free.

“You are unharmed.” Vossler’s concern sounded… almost insincere, if Vaan could put it into words, perhaps it was different, for those who had a right to live, for those who had money to maintain; but his words felt as if he hadn’t thought of her in any danger, or as if he felt it wouldn’t matter if she was. The teenager worried, but once again, out of fear to be the target to be lashed out upon, he remained in silence. 

“Vossler, I—” Ashelia almost fell as she reached towards what the group considered to be his most trusted companion, and he managed to catch her just in time, she looked at him, and Balthier could almost feel her love for him – was it romantic? He didn’t know; but it wouldn’t had been strange, if they had shared the last two years together. What he couldn’t see clearly was if the feelings were mutual. He had been proud of his ability as the leading man to be a good judge of character, and Vossler didn’t seem like a bad man, but there was something there, in the way he moved, in the way he touched Ashelia, that made Balthier think that the soldier might not know where his heart truly was. Not that ambiguity was something bad, much to the contrary; to never be clear was the best course of action if what one aimed was to survive; but Ashelia didn’t see that her precious soldier was aiming, perhaps, at living, and not at ‘saving’. 

“Majesty…” He touched her shoulder softly, and Ashe’s hands felt on her chest, holding them together as if on a prayer. 

“It’s nothing, I’ll be fine.” She had an obvious soft spot for Vossler, but not the same could be told for Basch. As the man approached to her; she managed to almost produce toxin with her voice. “You.” Ashe whispered, as she looked at the ex-commander. 

Vaan was taking none of that, he had been patient enough with the princess and with the politics, but enough for him was enough. “Come on, come on! Let’s go! What are you waiting for? Penelo is still out there!” 

“We should hurry. They won’t be long.” Balthier knew that if it hadn’t been for him, Vaan’s call would’ve been ignored. Everyone agreed it was time to leave – and once again, the teenager felt as if his call for help had been left unattended to. They would talk, later.

They left the cages where Ashelia was trapped and tried to maintain a low-profile as much as possible; there were times in which the lasers were very greatly hidden, and they would’ve to face a new horde of guards that came their way, but mostly; everyone managed to keep their head high and no one was too badly hurt. Ashelia, Fran and Vaan were the three capable of casting the most basics spells of healing, which was good for the wounds that did not require magic a bit more complicated; which Vaan was the only who could cast. Balthier kept an eye on him, because he would overwork himself and not ask for an ether in case of necessity thinking that someone might need it later in time. 

Vaan didn’t understand that if one waited until they could wait no more, it was probably too late. He learnt that lesson the hard way, seeing his father lose himself away to madness, and voices that weren’t there, and Gods that just… didn’t exist. He tried to keep those thoughts away as they reached the main engine room inside of the Dreadnought. The alarms were blowing up, it wouldn’t be long until they were surrounded by guards.

Basch turned around, making sure Ashelia was fine; and to his shock, the princess had her arm been hold by Vaan, who was trying to cure minor injuries since she was too magically exhausted to do it herself. The teenager looked at him, then, and smiled softly – there was a sense of relief inside of him that couldn’t had been expressed in words; he might’ve been mad with Ashelia’s ways of dealing with her troubles, but he was still trying to treat her; and even the princess had some sense of shame to lower her gaze, feeling a tad ashamed from her display earlier. 

The suspicions about them being surrounded by soldiers was not misplaced, soon what became as an assumption became fact; and everyone assumed a battle stance. The ex-commander’s focus was to get Rabanastre’s future queen out of the ship. Ashelia was significantly agitated by the situation, going as far as trying to stand on the first line of attack; Vossler and Basch couldn’t allow it. “Your majesty, we will cut you a path.” 

The princess wasn’t bending to a man who had betrayed her trust; there was no time to explain to her the situation now; Vaan tried to take her by the arm, to direct her to a safer battle position to no abide. “I will not place my trust in the sword of a traitor!” The white mage was not letting go of her arm; and she was becoming more and more aggressive with his passive attempt to keep her calm. 

Vossler’s voice, however, brought Ashelia back into the reality of their situation. “Yet trust his sword we must, traitor or no. I see no other way.” There were a few men in their way already, and the youngest man in the troupe finally managed to take the princess into the backline; Balthier taking her place. Vossler nodded at him, while Ashelia simply looked down, trying to accept that perhaps Basch didn’t mean ill, at least, not for now. “We track back, commandeer a ship and make our escape.” Ashe’s most trusted companion whispered to Balthier and Basch, and the two of them silently nodded, making their way through yet another horde of soldiers. 

Her majesty cannot abide weakness, least of all in herself, was everything Vossler thought before mashing his sword against the head of one of the many guards in the Dreadnought Leviathan. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone was exhausted. The Dreadnought felt as an infinite ship, at this point. The halls just continued to become longer, the lasers harder to detect, and the soldiers stronger. Fran, Ashe and Vaan who were on the sidelines healing couldn’t cast a single enchantment anymore; too much ether would cause an overdose, and Vaan was already down by three. The poisons were few, but if the ships’ cargo was close by, they would probably make it. Probably. 

They continued to run, following Vossler’s lead, since he was the one who knew the ship the most – or so did everyone think. By the end of one of the many endless passages, a blond girl and a boy they already knew quite well stood, looking in all directions, as if they were lost, or searching for somebody. Vaan met eyes with the girl, and his heart came to a sudden stop. He felt his eyes fill up with tears of relief, and he ran towards her, burring his head in the gap between her shoulder and neck. She smiled, hugging him equally as intense, letting his warm wash over her. She had missed him so much. “Vaan…” 

“It’s okay, we’re okay.” He was so relieved, he was alone no longer. 

Larsa smiled at the exchange, but there was no time for sentimentality; there was little to no time to act. “Ghis knows you’ve escaped. You must hurry.” The black-haired child looked between Ashelia and Vossler, his eyes stopping over the man dressed in Archadian soldier’s armor. “You are captain Azelas. You will follow me. We must reach the airships before they do.” 

“You would let us leave knowing who we are?” Vossler sounded doubtful, and understandably so – Larsa was the fourth prince and next in line to the throne of Archadia, but he hadn’t been anything but chivalrous ever since the group came to meet him, and Penelo was safe; so Vaan and the others who already know who he was were already leaning towards trusting him; obviously, always keeping in account the possibility for betrayal. 

Larsa nodded in response to Vossler, and with his eyes regarded Ashelia. “Lady Ashe, by all rights you ought not even to exist… That you and captain Ronsenburg were made to appear dead is like a hidden thread laid bare.” He was… diplomatically threatening the future queen of Dalmasca and the ex-commander, their actions a sign towards the trust he had placed on the two of them. “Your actions hereafter will pull at that thread; we will see what it unravels.” Then, he dropped the niceties, and smiled the sweet grin of the child he was. “This is our chance. We must see this through and get to the bottom of it.” He looked back towards Penelo, who was still close to Vaan. “I believe ‘tis for the good of Dalmasca and the good of the Empire.” 

Ashelia was left without words for a few seconds; this was but a child regarding her as if she was the kid; she had nothing left to say other than agreeing with Larsa, after all, he was the only path they had towards recovering their freedom. 

Vaan had felt such a relief that he had forgotten his manners. He beamed, showing an amused face and whispered “Thanks, Lamont.” He knew that wasn’t the child’s name, but he thought the irony wouldn’t be left unheard from his voice, as well as the gratitude. 

“I must apologize.” Larsa was also pleased, and something in the way he smiled told Vaan that he had, perhaps, taken an interest in his best friend, feeling that only increased when Larsa handed Penelo a Nethecite. “For you, Penelo. May it bring you good fortune.” There were words left unsaid there, a hope that they would meet again. Vaan could feel his lips turning into a smile, but he decided to not tease neither of them; after all, it had been just but a few days since they had been captured and taken in the ship. The Dreadnought was too big of a ship to move faster than it did, and it took almost a week to reach from Bhujerba to Archadia. 

Vaan, however, could feel Fran’s eyes as she saw the exchange between the two people, and he could feel the way the edge of her lips turned the tiniest bit upward. She had seen right through them as well – not to mention that Balthier had whispered something about ‘gentlemen be gentlemen’; while he turned his back on the trio. 

“Thank you.” Penelo smiled at him; the softest of expressions Vaan had ever seen on her face before; Larsa nodded – leaving after that with Vossler towards the ships. 

“Penelo, we were told by Vaan that from the two of you, you’re the strongest one.” Balthier pulled one of the two swords he was carrying out of one of the scabbards he had. The girl understood, taking the sword and taking a battle stance; there was no finesse there, but the team could notice she was experienced with taking the first line, which would come handy now that their group had grown reduced and that their mages were exhausted. “Let us go, then.” 

“Lets.” She giggled, happy to be back in Vaan’s side. 

For the next round of passage exploring, there were fewer and fewer soldiers, and Vaan, for once, was glad. There were few minor cuts here and there, but no one was bleeding to death, which was a much more better situation than the one they had before. With fifteen soldiers attacking at a time, Vaan needed to be mindful not to let anyone uncared for, one single mistake would mean someone’s death, and while it was possible for a white mage to revive people that were recently killed, that did not mean in any way that he was able to do it; there was a limit to how much his magic would manifest, he had known about magicians who would return those who had passed long ago to aid them in combat, but those were tales of black mages with tendencies to white magic; and he had never had anything akin; nor did he ever want to play the necromancer, anyways. 

Since the soldiers were not causing that much damage, he could worry about recovering his forces and take his time to watch his companions fight. Basch was ruthless, a beast in the camp, his movements were educated, but the raw force which he used to deliver them was rather intimidating and had a lack of grace which had, in turn, surprised Vaan – specially since he was not expecting Basch to be such a great lance user. On the other hand, there was Balthier who was using, along Penelo, a sword. He was accurate with each hit he gave; must’ve been because of his training as a machinist. He saw right through an armor’s weak spot and would pierce through it with grace and power – Vaan could relate those words to the sky pirate with no trouble. Penelo was… Original. She wasn’t calculated, nor did she have a beautiful fighting style, but her movements were strong, strong enough to break through the weaker parts of an armor; she had always been abnormally sturdy for a girl, but Vaan never had the chance to see her fighting other humans; much less armored people. Fran would whisper soft words to her arrows, and they would turn ablaze; or she would use some arrows with a little package of nitroglycerine tied to its end, which she would cast a spell to in the air to make it implode as it had contact with the enemy. Ashelia’s fighting skills were those of a well-trained knight, but with an edge that spoke of her delicacy as a princess. 

Vaan felt useless, if he was honest. All he could do, and not do it that well in the end, was heal – he couldn’t help them fight since his built was not as strong, nor he could cast spells at a long distance. He was a complete support, and he couldn’t help but feeling as if he was not being helpful enough. His staff stood besides him; and he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he was another type of mage. He felt long fingers rest on his shoulder, the Viera looked down at him, and with her eyes she told him to ignore the thoughts that were plaguing him, at least for now. The exploration continued. 

It wasn’t long until they reached the departure zone – and for that the troupe was happy; they were almost out of the snakes’ lair, and it tasted as sweet as Balthier had hoped it would. He could feel it in the air, the outside, as well as in the soft reflections of blue that were around in the metal of the Dreadnaught. 

The hall opened into the airships location, making them all breath in relief, which was short-lived when they noticed Ghis standing in one of the bridges that led to the upper floors of the Dreadnaught. “Such a great shame… I must confess, I thought you the one who would help us restore peace to Dalmasca.” Behind them, another group of fifteen soldiers stood. “No matter, we hold the proof of your royal lineage.” 

Vaan and Ashe felt their hearts throb at the mention of the stone; the teenager rested a hand over his heart, missing the strange warmth the rock had provided him, feeling as cold as he had felt before reaching the cage where the princess rested; while Ashelia seemed to look offended – how dared that man put her lineage in question. She was Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca, and she was going to be treated as such. “A maid of passing resemblance will serve our purposes now.” He began to cast a type of magic that Vaan thought to be black magic; was Ghis a battlemage? “As for you, my dear… The empire requires you no more!” He aimed towards the princess, and Penelo stood before her, ready to take the hit. Vaan felt his breath catch in his throat, Balthier holding him in place, the closest person to him. He heard the sky pirate whisper ‘I’m sorry’, but then, the magic was… absorbed, by the Nethecite that Larsa had given them. 

… Good fortune, indeed. Vaan freed himself from Balthier’s grip and ran towards Penelo and Ashe; Penelo pale as she could be but with a victorious smile on her face. Vaan delivered a hit on her shoulder, so hard he almost made her fall. “Are you out of your mind?” He screamed in her face, but her smile didn’t falter. 

“I don’t even know what that was, but I’m glad it happened.” She said, holding the Nethecite with her two hands. “I’m not going to let our princess die like this.” 

Ashelia looked at her gratefully, before turning back to Ghis; getting ready to deliver a good fight; with her, Basch and Penelo quickly followed; which in turn made Balthier sigh. “Everyone is too quick to assume a trick will work twice…” He too, prepared for battle. Fran and Vaan, as per usual, were ready to work as the distant support. 

“Your majesty does not disappoint!” Ghis wasn’t afraid, he knew he was stronger than any of them, and he was ready to prove it. “Ever quick to spurn an honorable surrender, as was your father.” 

The princess was taken aback with the comment about Raminas; Ghis was thrilled when he saw the pain that was written all over her face. She was quick to recover, but he would relinquish on the expression that Ashelia had graced him with; terror, pain, disgust, sadness… They would feed his ego for as long as he lived. “You know nothing of my father!” And with that, she summoned a strength that rested deep within her, bathing Ghis with a light so bright she might’ve blinded him, lights that pierced through him like lighting; making his helmet fall, along with him; the group cleared the soldiers that were still waiting by the door, and as soon as Ghis was down, those who were still left standing ran for their pitiful lives; and it was just in time for Vossler to make his appearance, calling them out. 

“We’ve secured an Atomos. Come!” Vossler screamed. 

Ghis was going to make a move, but Fran turned her head, casting a Fire underneath him, making him stop in his tracks. Balthier sighed at the mentioning of the ship, disappointed that it wasn’t one like his dear Strahl. “An Atomos? All skiff, no ship, hardly fit for a leading man.” 

Vaan took that comment as a chance. “So, I can fly it then?”

Fran looked at him with her eyebrow raised; Vaan couldn’t even ride a chocobo decently, and now that he was exhausted it would only make it worst; and he was asking to ride a ship for them to escape? She had to pause for a second to look at him, to see if he was being serious, and to her surprise, there wasn’t a single sign in him that spoke about him being joking. If she hadn’t been so tired and jittery from the adventure, she might’ve tried to talk some sense into him, but there was no time nor wish, so all her feelings were resumed into a single phrase. “Are you mad?” 

Vaan didn’t answer. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Atomos was small, they barely were able to fit, and it was quite uncomfortable. Vaan never thought he’d miss a ship he had only been inside o once, but he was already calling out for the Strahl as if he had spent most of his life riding it. He was feeling nauseous; the tiredness, the movement, and the incredible amount of stress the whole team had gone through in just a few days.  
“Can’t we go faster?” Penelo wanted out of the Dreadnought as soon as possible; not that her experience on it was a bad one, but out of fear that her friends might be caught again. 

“Not yet.” Fran wanted to explain to Penelo that first they needed to free the ship, but there wasn’t too much time before they were caught stealing an Atomos; and talking was distracting her from her careful treatment of the engines of the airship; it wasn’t as if she hadn’t ridden one of them before, but she was already too used to the mechanisms of the Strahl, that were quite different from these, since the Strahl was still only a prototype. She congratulated herself when she managed to get the ship in motion; and even more so when even amidst to all her discomfort, she managed to blend in with all the others. No one was attacking them, so she had successfully managed to keep everyone inside the ship safe. 

There were a few experiences she would’ve liked not to ever experience, to be trapped by the Empire for a week, to be taken to a place where the mist was distorted, and to have to deal with taking care with a bunch of children – and Basch, and Balthier, was probably not one of those things she thought she would do once she left the Viera so long ago. 

She let out a relieved sigh once they were out of the fleet premises. They were free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, list of weapons:
> 
> Basch uses Lances.  
> Penelo actually uses axes, but they didn't have any on them at the moment so she took one of Balthier's swords.  
> Balthier uses both swords and guns, he has already two classes. He can also use a single spell of magic, which is 'Fire'.  
> Fran is a black mage and uses bow and arrow.  
> Ashelia is a Knight. 
> 
> The two sky pirates are the only ones who right now have two jobs.
> 
> My personal headcanon is that Balthier lived in the palace and he knew Vayne since childhood. 
> 
> My second headcanon is that Vayne is actually a psychopath.
> 
> I think Balthier would consider his father schizophrenic; which is why he would refer to him as a madman (not to say that a schizophrenic is a madman at all, but since Balthier is no psychologist, he would think so), I also think he was an atheist right up until the events of Final Fantasy XII. 
> 
> I have a story planned for his backstory that would speak about his family dynamics, since he is known to be the third son of his family. 
> 
> There's also a few changes on some canon scenes in the game that didn't sit well on me; like the scene in which Vaan shows the stone; it looks like he gets it out of nowhere, and the scene with the nethecite; I think it made more sense for me that Penelo stood in front of Ashelia instead of the nethecite just miraculously saving the day. 
> 
> I'm also 100% sure that Balthier knew who Ashelia was since the very start; and in case anyone is wondering, yeah, everyone's whispering Balthier's real name. Also, I think Ashe was in love with Vossler, and I think he was also in love with her; their romance is tragic; what one would do to save their people. 
> 
> The next chapter we are up to the tomb of Raithwall! See you all soon.


End file.
